The rise of eCommerce has created a significant opportunity for businesses looking to start their online storefronts. With more and more consumers turning to the internet to purchase goods and services, the demand for eCommerce is continuing to grow.
This trend is driven by the convenience and flexibility of shopping online, as well as the increased availability of products and services on the internet. For businesses willing to invest in an eCommerce website or start their online storefront, now is the right time.
eCommerce website stats you need to know
To understand how big the opportunity is, here are a few eCommerce trends and stats you need to be aware of in 2023:
- By the year 2040, it’s estimated that 95% of all purchases will be through eCommerce. [Nasdaq]
- 59% of Millennials will go to Amazon first when online shopping. [Inviqa]
- 93.5% of global internet users have purchased products online. [OptinMonster]
- In 2023, eCommerce sales are expected to account for 20.8% of retail sales worldwide. [Oberlo]
- Global eCommerce sales are expected to total $6.3 trillion worldwide in 2023. [Shopify]
Amazing, isn’t it? So, if you are too going to start your online storefront this year – you will need an eCommerce website to start selling.
Why do you need an eCommerce website?
An eCommerce website is necessary for businesses that want to sell products or services online.
Difference between an ecommerce website and a normal website
An ecommerce website is a website that allows businesses to sell products or services online, while a normal website is a website that provides information or content but does not necessarily sell products or services. Thus, an ecommerce website focuses more on functionality, user-friendliness, conversions, and design .
It allows your website to reach a wider customer base beyond its physical location, and to operate 24/7. An eCommerce website allows your website visitors to browse and purchase products or services at their convenience, which increases sales and revenue.
Additionally, an eCommerce website provides valuable data and insights on customer behavior and preferences, which helps in planning marketing and sales strategies.
Now, when we talk about setting up an eCommerce website, the next most important step after initial market research is to select the platform for developing the website. If you’re an established business, you can take help from your in-house development team to set-up up an online storefront. However, if you are a startup or solo entrepreneur, this option might not work or even if you outsource it, it will be expensive.
Here, the best option is to do it yourself. And a website builder will help you do just that.
Why go for website builders for your eCommerce web development needs and how to select the right one?
Website builders can help you launch your eCommerce website faster than traditional web development methods. Many website builders do not require any coding skills, making it easy for anyone to create and manage an eCommerce website. They also offer a wide range of customizable templates, so you can create a website that is tailored to your business’s unique needs.
Selecting the right website builder for your eCommerce website can be a crucial decision that can affect the success of your online business. Here are some factors to consider when choosing a website builder:
- E-commerce features: Make sure the website builder supports all eCommerce features you need, such as a shopping cart, inventory management, and payment processing.
- Design templates: Look for a website builder that offers a wide variety of design templates, or the ability to customize your design.
- User-friendly interface: The website builder should be easy to use, even if you don’t have any technical skills.
- SEO and marketing: Look for a website builder that offers SEO and marketing tools to help you improve your website’s visibility in search engines and promote your products.
- Integrations: Check if the website builder can integrate with other platforms such as email marketing, social media, and accounting software.
- Scalability: Consider the scalability of the website builder, as your business may grow over time, and you may need more advanced features.
- Cost: Compare the cost of different website builders and choose one that fits your budget.
Now, that you have understood the basic prerequisites of building an eCommerce website, let’s come to the main topic of the article – how to build an eCommerce website.
How to build an eCommerce website using a website builder?
1. Select a website builder
The first and most basic step to building an eCommerce website is to select a website builder. It will act as the content management system for your website. You have plenty of options to choose from like open-source platforms, SaaS (software-as-a-service) eCommerce platforms, or headless commerce platforms.
Website builders are quite popular options when it comes to building websites or applications. Website builders offer businesses an intuitive and cost-effective way to launch an e-commerce site with minimal setup costs and time. They come with all the necessary features and functionalities required to start your eCommerce website like themes and templates, inventory tracking systems, shipping carriers, etc.
If you’re not sure which website builder to use, here’re a few popular options to consider:
- Builder.ai: Builder.ai is an AI-backed web development platform that allows businesses to build custom websites and mobile apps without writing any code. With over 85,000 designers and developers across the world, AI picks the best as per your requirement. You also get a dedicated expert to support the development process.
- WordPress: WordPress is a popular open-source content management system that is widely used for building websites, including eCommerce websites. It is easy to use, flexible and customizable and offers a wide range of features and functionalities.
- Weebly: Weebly is a website builder that allows users to create professional-looking websites without needing any technical skills. It is particularly well-suited for small businesses and individuals looking to create an eCommerce website.
- Wix: Wix is a website builder and hosting platform that allows users to create, design, and publish their websites without the need for coding or web development experience. It offers a variety of templates and design tools for users to customize their websites.
- Shopify: Shopify is a leading eCommerce platform that allows businesses to create and manage an online store. It is a fully hosted platform, which means that it takes care of the technical aspects of running an online store, such as hosting, security, and software updates.
- Gator: Gator is a website builder from HostGator, which is a web hosting company. Gator is designed to be user-friendly and easy to use, making it a good option for small businesses and individuals looking to create an eCommerce website.
2. Create an account and register your domain
Once you have decided which website builder to use for launching your eCommerce store, the next step is to create an account.
Now, there may be several different methods to create an account. For example, if you are using WordPress, your next step is to select web hosting. Go for a web hosting that comes with the free domain name and SSL and one-click installation of WordPress – this will save you from having to manually connect your domain and hosting to WordPress.
If you select any other website builder like Shopify, Builder.ai, or Wix, you’ll have to first sign-up for their service. Every provider might have a different process to get you onboarded. For example, If you select Builder.ai, the AI-backed website builder will navigate you smoothly through some questions to understand your website development needs better and suggest the right plan for you. It is quite helpful if you do not have any technical knowledge about building an eCommerce store.
Normally, a CMS should allow you to register a domain through them. If not, you can always get your domain registered through a trusted domain name registrar and then connect it to your web hosting account. Check out the best domain name registrars to get started.
3. Select a theme for the eCommerce store
The theme or template of your eCommerce website plays a crucial role in the overall user experience and conversion rate. A well-designed theme or template can help create a professional and trustworthy appearance, making it easier for customers to navigate and find the products they are looking for.
It can also help to increase the speed and functionality of the site, leading to a better user experience. On the other hand, a poorly designed theme or template can cause confusion and frustration for customers, resulting in a high bounce rate and low conversion rate.
So, when selecting a theme for your eCommerce store, it is important to pick one that is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and optimized for conversion.
4. Customize the theme
Customizing the theme or template of your eCommerce website is important for several reasons. First and foremost, it allows you to create a unique and personalized online store that sets you apart from your competitors.
This can help to establish your brand identity and increase customer loyalty. Additionally, customizing your theme or template can help to optimize your website for conversion.
For example, you can customize the layout and placement of important elements such as calls to action, product listings, and trust badges to improve the user experience and increase the likelihood of a sale.
Furthermore, customizing your theme or template can also help you to improve the overall performance of your website by removing any unnecessary features and optimizing the code for speed and efficiency.
5. Add products
An eCommerce store is set up to sell products. So, adding products is the most important step in setting up your eCommerce website.
Adding products to your eCommerce web store typically involves creating a product inventory – this includes gathering information such as product name, description, price, and images. The CMS that you selected in the first step – will help you set up a system for managing these products. The next step is to categorize the products. Categorization helps your customers easily navigate and find the products they are looking for on the website.
If your product comes in different sizes or colors, set up options for customers to apply filters based on their preferred variation.
6. Set up payment options
In the previous step, you added products to your eCommerce website. Now the next step would be to set up a payment system to collect payment from customers who buy products from your website.
You might want to consider a payment gateway at this stage. A payment gateway (PG) is a service that processes online payments and connects your website to payment networks. Some popular examples include PayPal, Square, and Stripe. You’ll have to integrate the payment gateway with your eCommerce website. Some website builders have built-in support for payment gateways.
You can also sign-up for a merchant account – which is a type of bank account that allows you to accept credit and debit card payments.
Once you have decided upon the payment options to include on your eCommerce website – the next step is to test these systems. It ensures that customers do not face any issues in making payments once the website is live.
A few things to take care of when setting the payment options:
- Ensure that you offer multiple payment options and modes to your customers.
- Ensure that your website is secure by using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates to encrypt data exchanged between your website and the payment gateway.
- Ensure that your payment systems comply with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) and the country’s laws and regulations.
7. Preview and test it
You’ve reached so far in setting up your eCommerce website – so now it is time to preview and test the website to ensure everything is working smoothly.
One of the basic things you would like to test is the website’s compatibility and availability on different devices (such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops) and browsers (such as Chrome, Firefox, and Safari). You must also ensure that the website loads quickly and can handle scaling traffic.
Test the payment system to make sure that everything including processing payments and handling errors is working efficiently. During this stage, you might also want to test the checkout process – from navigating the products and adding them to carts – everything must work in the right order.
If you’re allowing customers to create an account on your website – you must also test it beforehand and check if customers can easily create accounts, add discounts or promos, or Wishlist products.
Finally, check the website’s security and compliance status.
8. Launch your eCommerce website
Once your eCommerce website has been previewed and tested and all issues have been resolved, you can launch it and make it available to the public. You might need to point your domain name to the server where your website is hosted, and make sure it is accessible to the public.
However, this isn’t it. You have just set up the eCommerce website – you will now need to put in a lot of effort to convert it into a successful eCommerce business.
Explore Builder.ai for your eCommerce website and app development needs
Builder.ai is a platform that allows businesses to build custom websites and mobile apps without writing any code. It uses a unique “code-gen” technology that automates the development process, enabling businesses to launch their websites and apps faster and at a lower cost.
With Builder.ai, you can keep 100% of your profits as there are no marketplace fees.
It automates many of the manual processes that slow down traditional website and app development projects. You can get your online storefront set up easily and quickly. You will also get continuous support from the experts at Builder.ai.
How does it work?
- Create your online store from several templates with the help of AI selection and add your logo.
- Upload product information easily like colors, images, pricing, descriptions, quantity, size, and more.
Once you’re done with the basic steps, you’re all set to launch your website.
If you want to know more about it or want to schedule a demo, get in touch with our team at sales@znetlive.com.
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